Power Restored After 5-Hour Outage In New York City

Saturday night, a massive power outage hit New York City, affecting the areas of Midtown, Times Square, Hell’s Kitchen and other areas in upper Manhattan, leaving at on point, at least 60,000 customers without power according to Con Edison.

“We experienced a significant disturbance on the West Side of Manhattan at one of our electric transmission stations,” said John McAvoy, CEO of Con Edison, during a press conference. “There are some unknowns in this as we restore equipment we may find damage we are not currently aware of, but we are proceeding on a path to restore all customers hopefully by midnight tonight.”

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According to city officials, a transformer fire may have been to blame for the outage which began at 6:47 p.m. The result affected subway stations, traffic signals, the signature lights of Times Square and 42nd Street, and even caused several Broadway shows to cancel performances due to loss of power. The outage would go on to make the length Fifth Avenue and the Hudson River and from 42nd to 72nd street.

NYPD’s commissioner James O’Neill has ruled out any criminal activity in relation to the outage and so far, no fatalities or injuries have been attached to the blackout.

“While fortunately, no injuries occurred as a result of this incident, the fact that it happened at all is unacceptable,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo. “I am directing the Department of Public Service to investigate and identify the exact cause of the outages to help prevent an incident of this magnitude from happening again. Until the recovery is complete, we will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety and security of New Yorkers.”